The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has just announced that the number of participants in high school sports increased for the 28th consecutive year in 2016‐17 – drawing close to the 8 million mark – according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey (see link below). Maryland's participation numbers also experienced an increase last year to 112,414 student-athletes.
Based on figures from the 51 NFHS member state high school associations, which includes the District of Columbia, the number of participants in high school sports reached an all‐time high of
7,963,535 – an increase of 94,635 from the previous year. While boys participation increased 18,664 from the previous year, girls participation ratcheted up by 75,971 participants and set an all‐time high of 3,400,297. Overall, this increase in participation is the largest one-year jump since the 2008-09 school year while the increase in girls participation is the largest one-year increase since the 2000-01 report.